With the Coronation Bank Holiday as well, this is the third Monday BH of the month. Why did he have to get crowned in May - any other month would have spread out the BH weekends a bit better!
We get less days off than many other countries anyway- very unfair I used to think when Colin was working for the County Council - of course once retired, every day is a holiday?!
Some Stocks bought off the market have been my Flowers on the Table for part of this week ,although they didn't last long, with some lovely Spirea from the garden to fill up the jug.
I keep hoping that something will grow for me to have my own Flowers on the Table but don't really have enough of anything and the roses are covered in greenfly again.
Had an annoying letter this week telling me that Barclays Bank in Diss is closing in August. They've already closed the one in Stowmarket (and Eye and Debenham and almost every other several years ago) so where on earth do I go now if I want a bag full of £1 coins for car boot sales! I opened my bank account with them when I started work at 16 and hadn't changed simply because they had branches everywhere we lived and it cost me nothing to have an account there. Now the only Building Society/Bank in both Stowmarket and Diss is Nationwide and they've annoyed me too by changing rules on their Savings Bond so that monthly interest money can't be paid into any other account - which I was using to top up my monthly pension. Seems to me nowadays they just think - "B*g**r the customer!
75p was spent on a pot of Basil from Aldi this week to do my usual thing of persuading the cuttings to root in water and turning them into plants which is so much easier than growing from seed. (I'm grateful every year for finding this tip on a blog)
I also bought a pot of Parsley for the same price and have divided the seedlings so some are in the ground and some in pots. They should grow and last all summer.
This week I've been grateful for
- Seeds sown
- Plants growing
- Spending a day with Middle Grandson - the 3 year old dinosaur expert!
- Good books
Hope you all have a good Long/Short weekend - depending on where you live.
I'll be back on Monday
Sue
Great idea with the herbs - very frugal. Flowers for cutting - a packet of Cosmos seeds would bring joy all the summer.
ReplyDeleteAnyone would think that Banks weren't necessary - the folk on the Top Table should get out into the real world a bit more, and see how it works - which is NOT for THEIR convenience.
All the bank branches have closed around here. Attleborough only has a Nationwide Building Society now and Barclays and Lloyds went months ago and HSBC years ago. Wymondham is the same. We are expected to go to Norwich so I guess you are expected to go to Ipswich. I do all my banking on the apps but my SIL does no computer or app banking and is totally lost. I make a trip to the bank in Norwich from time to time to get pound coins and fivers. It is a sad state of affairs that we can no longer bank in the traditional way. Bank Holiday weekends were nice when I was working full time, now they pass me by and just mean that there are people around when normally places are quiet.
ReplyDeleteIpswich town centre Barclays is cashless unless you make an appointment!
DeleteOh God. At least Lloyds still do cash. Cash is on the way out for sure.
DeleteThey talk of these mobile banks visiting out of way places every week but it seems it has hardly taken off. They should have planned this close down of the banks much better. True you can always get money from your local Post Office, and some even hold envelopes for banking money but when you have to discuss financial stuff it is hopeless.
ReplyDeleteThe mobile banks don't seem to deal with actual cash - just advice
DeleteBank branches are closing over here too. Many older folk are being left behind and ignored.
ReplyDeleteI have also recently tried the basil cutting in water tip with some success. I may try it with my parsley but it has become very leggy.
My basil cuttings are refusing to produce roots so far - very odd
DeleteI had the same problem with some basil a few weeks back. They wouldn’t root, so I just left them and finally they rooted.
DeleteThe closure of so many banks is really frustrating - especially for those who are not comfortable with the Internet. And the closure of so many sub post offices doesn't help. Trying to pay in a cheque is a nightmare! If you have an app on your phone, you can scan the cheque - but only if the writing is legible. So if your elderly relation with wobbly handwriting sends a cheque, you have to find a bank somewhere...as Thelma says, these promised "mobile banks" haven't really worked
ReplyDeleteYou are lucky that your bank would give you coins. When my elderly neighbour went into her bank (her own branch) for some pound coins - for taxis fares - they said they wouldn't do it and told her to go to the Post Office! Luckily in my village we have our PO still. I do all my banking there. Our PO staff are really helpful and grateful for the business, unlike the banks who seem to have forgotten that no customers means no bank.
ReplyDeleteFinding a bank which is still open is a bit of a nightmare. When I moved house 22 years ago I didn't move my bank account with me. It is still in the Midlands. I very rarely use the Barclays here. the post office which visits three times a week is very handy for handing over cash when I put my debit card in the machine. You could try your post office, but I'm not sure if they would give you a bag of £1 coins.
ReplyDeleteHow long will it be before we dispense with hard cash altogether? Maybe we should return to bartering . . .
ReplyDeletewe lost our Barclays branch about five years ago. Nearest is now an hour away, incurring parking charges to boot. My cousins have no banks nor post office in their village now. I just got a letter from one bank telling me they are closing one of my accounts, if you please. Annoying.
ReplyDeleteI like having a vase of flowers on the table mostly in the winter as there are non outside at that time. We have bank branches near us for now but you never know
ReplyDeleteCathy
We've lost quite a few banks here too. I fear we're moving closer to a cashless society and actual money will be a thing of the past. Everyone just taps their card or scans their phone even for small purchases now. And you have to phone an anonymous call centre if you have any problems.
ReplyDeleteOur nearest branch of Barclays Bank in Honiton is closing in June and we were informed that there will be access to the bank at the Council offices in Tiverton at a certain time once a week (I think). The closures don't really surprise me with most people doing on-line banking. and the ATM machines everywhere.
ReplyDeleteA bit of a pain all these closures - a sad sign of so called progress or is that just me showing my age?!
ReplyDeleteAlison in Wales x
That's awful about the bank closures. I get weary dealing with our credit union on issues which are not customer friendly.
ReplyDeleteLovely flowers.
US banks still seem plentiful with few closing. Customer service at some banks is abysmal. For example, I wanted the bank Notary to certify a document for me, I was the only customer in the bank and they told me to make an appointment. Needless to say, I no longer have an account at this bank. A few years ago, I was told customers would have to pay a fee to talk to a bank teller; this has not happened yet.
ReplyDelete. Barclays is closing our village branch next month too, and HSBC is closing in the next village in July. I hold an account with both banks so it's very frustrating. I too fear that a cashless society is getting ever closer 😱
ReplyDeleteYour flowers look very pretty 😊
Bank branches closing down here in Hawaii too. Our little bank, inside a supermarket, decided to close down during covid and when it reopened it announced that it is now cashless. All money transactions are done on the ATM machines. The little ice-cream store then announced that they would only take credit cards from now on. The reason given..... it is because they can no longer walk over to the bank to get change when needed.
ReplyDeleteVery annoying about the bank closure. I don't use mine very often but would miss it if it wasn't there. xx
ReplyDeleteOur town has just one bank left, not one that we use unfortunately. All the others now take turns to visit in the mobile van, which does seem to deal in cash for the people that use it.
ReplyDeleteI have been rooting my Basil this way forever, I have rarely managed to grow it successfully from seed and for it to survive for long, anyway I always think it makes the kitchen look and smell nice while it takes it's leisurely time to develop roots.. I also do my Rosemary cuttings this way as eventually all my Rosemary's go to the great herb garden in the sky ... or maybe that's called the compost heap. ;-)